|
If we just stay still and ignore them, eventually our cats get bored and leave. They've gradually learned to leave us alone at night because we won't play or feed them, or even respond.
|
#
?
Aug 15, 2014 03:03
|
|
|
|
| # ? May 30, 2024 07:10 |
|
|
Should I be too worried what sort of place I go to when I look for a cat to adopt? I was planning tomorrow to leave work a little early and go to the city animal control/shelter and look around. (Knowing me, I'm awfully bloody likely to leave with a cat. I should probably just go to Petsmart and get some stuff first  )
|
|
#
?
Aug 15, 2014 03:22
|
|
|
Ciaphas posted:Should I be too worried what sort of place I go to when I look for a cat to adopt? I was planning tomorrow to leave work a little early and go to the city animal control/shelter and look around. So long as the place doesn't work with kitten farms or anything like that, any shelter that takes in homeless animals should be fine. Bonus points if they're a little known charity kind of place cos any support you can give the little guys is great.
|
|
#
?
Aug 15, 2014 07:20
|
|
|
Deteriorata posted:If we just stay still and ignore them, eventually our cats get bored and leave. They've gradually learned to leave us alone at night because we won't play or feed them, or even respond. If I do that, my cats just start playing on top of me.  Today they just settled for a light scuffle then pinned me down by sleeping on either side of me. Pudding on the left is pretty high maintainence, requires a ton of playtime. Cookie on the right is really laid back and can lie in the same spot for hours.
|
|
#
?
Aug 15, 2014 07:37
|
|
|
Ciaphas posted:Should I be too worried what sort of place I go to when I look for a cat to adopt? I was planning tomorrow to leave work a little early and go to the city animal control/shelter and look around. Have a look a couple of pages back, someone wrote a great method on selecting a cat from a shelter.
|
|
#
?
Aug 15, 2014 10:47
|
|
|
Hello cat owners and megathread posters... I've got a small problem. I rescued a cat not too long ago -- it was a stray kitten (3.5 months) stuck beneath some fencing in a vegetable farm area (I live in rural S.E. Asia atm.) and she's been wonderful so far. I found her 3 weeks ago, and I've had her de-wormed, and vaccinated. However, I've noticed on two occasions a weird skin thing she's got going. The first time she had it on her front left paw, and it disappeared on its own. The second time (now) on her right hind-leg, right below the joint before her paw-bend starts (if that makes sense). As in, below her back-leg-knee on the rear-facing side (faces the same way as her rear end in a top hat). There was a thick layer roughly the size of a penny of crusty white skin with matted hair growing out of it. Presumably she's been licking it. Anyway, assuming it was just gum or some dirt stuck to her, I pulled lightly at it, when to my great surprise, the whole clump of crusty, dry, obviously dead skin fell off. It had the consistency of a clump of dandruff, I guess. In it's place is a patch of dry skin that's hairless. I noticed this on her fore-paw when I first found her, but the vet made no mention of it, and about a week later it was all gone. I'm trying to research what this could be. The two most likely hits seem to be ringworm, and scaly skin. I don't know if it's ringworm because it's not red, she doesn't lick it much, and I haven't contracted it yet. I don't know much about scaly skin, and from what I read online, it looks like vets don't know much, either. Attached is a photograph. Sorry to just lay this out on you fellow cat owners. I'm sure you were all having a grand discussion before this post. But I'm in a minor state of panic because I don't want my fantastically brave and resilient catten to be suffering. In the image below, you can see part of her rightt hind leg, and where the weird patch of hairless skin is. Any help or advice you could give me is so much appreciated. Oh, and the skin reacts to UV light (it shines white like a white t-shirt or fluids on a hotel bed sheet) if that matters. I read that this is one way to tell if its ringworm? </new parent> EDIT: I read online (eep!) that cats can sometimes react badly to vaccinations and other drugs administered, and this includes skin issues. She was vaccinated 2 weeks ago, was de-wormed, and I've applied Frontline anti-tick stuff to the back of her neck, but she hasn't had anything else. EDIT 2: As far as I can tell, there has been no puss leaking, or bleeding. The patch of skin exposed is completely dry, though it may have leaked before I noticed it. This seems to have developed in a matter of days as I spend a lot of time playing with her, and would have noticed it at some point. Also, she is a purely indoors cat now, but when we rescued her, she had obviously been outdoors in a rural area with tons of other stray cats and dogs, for a good while. She was quite underweight, and so presumably her immune system will have also been lessened. 
Shrimp or Shrimps fucked around with this message at 14:47 on Aug 15, 2014 |
|
#
?
Aug 15, 2014 14:07
|
|
|
That doesn't look anything like ringworm to me. Has the vet specifically looked at these spots? If not that should be your next step.
|
|
#
?
Aug 15, 2014 16:02
|
|
|
Ringworm can (but doesn't always) glow under blacklight, but I believe glows green. My kittens had it (and then we got it from them) after we found them, but theirs didn't glow. Definitely worth a trip to the vet either way and try not to stress over it.
|
|
#
?
Aug 15, 2014 18:19
|
|
|
Brought back a two year old white/grey tiger cat, named her Hope. I knew from reading that she was gonna be spooked, but seeing her run under the bed and refuse to come out for food or water was completely heartbreaking  I hope she comes out soon.
|
|
#
?
Aug 16, 2014 01:01
|
|
|
Ciaphas posted:Brought back a two year old white/grey tiger cat, named her Hope. I knew from reading that she was gonna be spooked, but seeing her run under the bed and refuse to come out for food or water was completely heartbreaking She will. Be sure to start posting in about her in here.
|
|
#
?
Aug 16, 2014 01:09
|
|
|
Ciaphas posted:Brought back a two year old white/grey tiger cat, named her Hope. I knew from reading that she was gonna be spooked, but seeing her run under the bed and refuse to come out for food or water was completely heartbreaking Totally normal. Just make sure she has food and water and a litter box close by and give her time.
|
|
#
?
Aug 16, 2014 02:14
|
|
|
I had a cat once stay under the bed/cleverly hidden for about five days--not eating any food or water. She was notoriously squirrely, there was no helping it. I think someone mentioned that cats start loving themselves up from lack of food on day six.
|
|
#
?
Aug 16, 2014 02:18
|
|
|
I know you folks are right and all, but I still can't help but feel like a big fat jerk whenever I go near her hidey-hole and she starts mewing pathetically in response to seeing me. Trips my overdeveloped guilt complex like whoa 
|
|
#
?
Aug 16, 2014 05:52
|
|
|
I posted a long while back about my cat Pistachio, but I tend to read more than I post. Here is a video of her being very demanding about licking a purple lollipop: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0OoHzyxx-5U I've heard the thing about cats not being able to taste sweet tastes, but she seems to have one hell of a sweet tooth. From cake to candy to lollipops, she's always trying to sneak in a lick or two. Or a paw gets its way into the food. I try to tell her no and give her heck, but she's so damned cute. I really don't mind all that much anyways.
|
|
#
?
Aug 16, 2014 07:07
|
|
|
My cat is really getting on my nerves lately. See, because of summer we started taking her out into a chair in the backyard to brush and comb her, to get out the loose fur. Well, she enjoys the sensation SO much, that she has now become a brush addict. She will now periodically start howling and yowling to be let out, then run right onto her brushing chair and keep yowling. "BRUSH ME! BRUCH MEEEEEE!" She drools and rolls around during brushing so much that she obviously considers it orgiastic, but god drat the worst part of it is she likes to do this poo poo when I'm sleeping. Five AM every loving day. I've taken to throwing water at her just to get her to shut up so I can get some sleep.
|
|
#
?
Aug 16, 2014 13:00
|
|
|
CompactFanny posted:That doesn't look anything like ringworm to me. Has the vet specifically looked at these spots? If not that should be your next step. Yes, we've got it booked for Monday. What alarms me the most is that I managed to pick off, with minimal effort, a huge clump of dead skin with the fur still attached. It looked like a tumor or gigantic mole growing out of her hind leg. I mean, the skin/flesh was like chalk. It crumbled in my fingers.  I'm so wishing I hadn't picked it off now. I thought it was gum  Hoping it's nothing serious, because this little trooper has been through enough, managing to survive at least two weeks in an area filled with wild dogs that would toss her about like a shark does a seal. Shrimp or Shrimps fucked around with this message at 14:11 on Aug 16, 2014 |
|
#
?
Aug 16, 2014 14:09
|
|
|
Apparently Hope is secretly a ninth level sorceror or something, because after making sure she was okay this morning she has completely vanished. I'd salute her hiding skills if I weren't worried about her--always-closed windows and doors not withstanding. I know she's used the litterbox at least to pee, but I don't think she's eaten or drank anything; I want to at least know where she is so I can put food nearby then leave her alone. Since I gotta go back to the store to get a scratching post (edit: and a collar/tag) anyway, anything else I should get? Treats to coax her out, or something to make her feel more comfortable (besides time, of course), or something? Ciaphas fucked around with this message at 18:00 on Aug 16, 2014 |
|
#
?
Aug 16, 2014 17:56
|
|
|
Ciaphas posted:I know she's used the litterbox at least to pee, but I don't think she's eaten or drank anything; I want to at least know where she is so I can put food nearby then leave her alone. Since I gotta go back to the store to get a scratching post (edit: and a collar/tag) anyway, anything else I should get? Treats to coax her out, or something to make her feel more comfortable (besides time, of course), or something? Spend time in the room doing quiet things like reading, avoid noise or loud music. She'll get used to your presence and gradually accept it as normal. Sounds like she's had a bit of drama, give it time and don't worry too much about the food/drink thing for the first few days. Using the litter is good though, she's not too terrified to be clean. Unless you think she might have found a hole into the walls or something, don't search for her as it'll just scare her more. If you get a collar, get one that has velcro or stretchy bits so she can't hang herself on something sticking out. Think about getting an RFID tag injected instead of a collar. A little bit of something aromatic like tuna might get her to come out, play it by ear and don't put out huge amounts as you may end up chucking it away.
|
|
#
?
Aug 16, 2014 20:47
|
|
|
Just go about your business. Read a book, watch tv (not too loud), whatever. She'll come out when she's ready, and when she does, try not to make a big deal about it. Don't stare at her or try to touch her until she comes to you. Feed her on a predictable schedule. She might respond to treats or a toy like a feather wand after she is out in the open, but I wouldn't try to coax her out of hiding. Don't worry! As you said, time is the most important thing.
|
|
#
?
Aug 16, 2014 20:51
|
|
|
I eventually found her; turned out she knows how to open folded-shut cardboard boxes and climbed in with my old plaques and stuff. Smart little fucker. Left her new scratching post nearby with some tuna treats and sprayed some catnip on the post (I hope that's okay ) and buggered off, since she seems to be sleeping now. I'll try sitting and browsing SA on my ipad near her later--not exactly convenient, since she chose my walkin closet as her hidey hole, but that's okay.  What seems odd to me is she never attempts to run away; whenever I make eye contact (I know I know but dammit I can't help it!) she starts meowing quietly and keeps eye contact herself. She usually stops when I look away. I woulda thought if she were traumatized or something she would bolt, or break eye contact herself. But then I'm no expert (obviously)! Deteriorata posted:She will. Be sure to start posting in about her in here. I plan to, once she's not so terrified. Seems a bit mean to try to get a picture before then
Ciaphas fucked around with this message at 21:28 on Aug 16, 2014 |
|
#
?
Aug 16, 2014 21:23
|
|
|
Ciaphas posted:What seems odd to me is she never attempts to run away; whenever I make eye contact (I know I know but dammit I can't help it!) she starts meowing quietly and keeps eye contact herself. She usually stops when I look away. I woulda thought if she were traumatized or something she would bolt, or break eye contact herself. But then I'm no expert (obviously)! She may not be afraid of you. She may just be afraid that she's in new territory and isn't sure if it's safe. I fostered a cat once that hid behind a bookshelf for two days. But every time I approached him he was friendly to me and would come out.
|
|
#
?
Aug 16, 2014 23:02
|
|
|
Tali is 4 months old today, though according to the bf's sister (was a vet tech for a good while) she's really big for her age. She's growing so fast, we've been looking at pictures from when we first got her ~5 weeks ago and she's so big now. He's excited to see how big she looks, I want her as a crazy kitty forever. Obviously he's gonna win. As long as she doesn't grow out of her lap-cat-ness, I'm cool. How often has that happened to anyone here?
|
|
#
?
Aug 17, 2014 00:13
|
|
|
TheAngryDrunk posted:She may not be afraid of you. She may just be afraid that she's in new territory and isn't sure if it's safe. I fostered a cat once that hid behind a bookshelf for two days. But every time I approached him he was friendly to me and would come out. That seems to be the case. I don't know about friendly yet, but if I put out my hand Hope'll rub her head on it. Not sure if she's trying to shove it away or just get a petting, but she doesn't object when I do pet her, so I'm guessing the latter. Still doesn't want to come down from the top shelf of my walk in closet, though, and I don't want to lift her down for no reason, so I figured I'd try putting the food and water up there, and the litterbox on the floor beneath. Sure enough she ate and drank, so I guess I don't have to worry about her getting sick at least. (Well, besides her sneezing from a cat cold, but I was told to expect that in a new environment.) Sorry for all the blog-ish posting, by the way, I'm just a bit overwhelmed, I suppose.
|
|
#
?
Aug 17, 2014 04:52
|
|
|
ilysespieces posted:Tali is 4 months old today, though according to the bf's sister (was a vet tech for a good while) she's really big for her age. She's growing so fast, we've been looking at pictures from when we first got her ~5 weeks ago and she's so big now. He's excited to see how big she looks, I want her as a crazy kitty forever. Obviously he's gonna win. Toast outgrew his lapcat-ness, sadly. He became more of a sit-in-the-room-with-you kind of cat, and really only cuddles in the mornings.
|
|
#
?
Aug 17, 2014 05:03
|
|
|
aghastly posted:Toast outgrew his lapcat-ness, sadly. He became more of a sit-in-the-room-with-you kind of cat, and really only cuddles in the mornings. About when did you notice that change? Right now mornings are reserved for biting toes and scratching my bf's beard, I'd be cool with her growing out of that.
|
|
#
?
Aug 17, 2014 05:39
|
|
|
I've read the FAQ but haven't gone through the 400 page thread, so I apologize if this is a repeated question. About three weeks ago, we adopted a 4~ year old, male, former stray, neutered cat named Bruce. Our older cat had recently died, so I thought the house felt empty without another cat. We have a resident cat named Noel, ~8 years old, female, spayed, who is/was dominant over the old cat. We've had her since she was 1. (We also have two dogs). I started out by creating a safe room for Bruce with all of the stuff he needs. He's a very friendly cat and acclimated quickly. I let Noel sniff the door, traded scents, and while she seemed upset (growly, poofing up), she wasn't freaking completely out. I switched rooms so that Bruce could explore the house and Noel would hang out in his room. No problems there. Then, I put up a baby gate so Bruce could wander around but have a safe place to go since Noel and the dogs can't jump over it (but he can). Noel and Bruce pretty much avoided each other and growled occasionally. I thought the introductions were going well, but I still put Bruce in his safe room whenever we left the house because sometimes it could get testy. We had to leave on a trip for about 5 days and had my dad house sit. He said the cats occasionally got growly at each other but nothing serious. When we got back home, it seems like the dynamic completely changed, which brings me to today. Bruce has decided to attack and chase Noel. Noel runs, yowling and screaming, until she can find a place to hide. He will posture near her to prevent her from moving, like sitting in front of one of the litterboxes or blocking her from getting out from under a chair. It had gotten to the point where she has actually pissed herself from fear of him when he chases her (I think - or he pissed on her? She smelled like cat pee and her rear end was wet). Of course, when this kind of chase happens, the dogs get excited and bark, which exacerbates the problem. Now, I don't let the cats in the same rooms at all. I rotate them out of my bedroom and the safe room so that one has access to the house for a while and vice versa. It's sad because both of them seem to feel lonely when they're cut off. Bruce, as a former stray, is somewhat mischievous and even tries to strongarm the dogs by trying to eat from their dishes or staring them down, but in general he's an energetic young cat who I've come to like. He definitely has a lot of energy and needs tons of playtime or else he begs to go outside (which isn't happening). Noel is normal and lovely when Bruce isn't around. I've devised a plan of action that I think may work, but I would like your input. -Prevent the cats from having access to each other for at least 1 week to let things calm down. -Slowly re-introduce the cats by starting over. -Buy another cat tree so that there are two easily-accessible "high" places in the house. We have one tall cat tree right now that Noel considers hers. -Buy a Feliway diffuser. -Spray Bruce with a squirt bottle if he starts to posture, chase, etc. (Or should I redirect him? That works with kids...) -Give Bruce more ways to expend energy: harness time in the backyard, more toys and entertainment. I don't want to give Bruce back to the shelter but I can't have Noel pissing herself whenever she sees him. I'm really hoping this works but I've never seen cats act like this before. Any input is appreciated!
|
|
#
?
Aug 17, 2014 06:13
|
|
|
I've been meaning to post this here for a few weeks, because the world must know about my  perfect new friend.   Her name is Oli (short for Oligodendrocyte). She's about a year old and very friendly and talkative. I think she's mostly Turkish Angora because of her chinchilla-soft, but very thin coat, as well as her outgoing personality. Or I'm overthinking it and she's a cute mix of lots of types of cats. Whatever! Sometimes she forgets to put her tongue back in her mouth. She's very delicate-looking and most of her is floof and tail, but she is also quite active. We spend about half an hour before bedtime trying to kill the laser toy dot's rear end dead. She's getting along fine with my other cat (large male, 11 years old) now, and the initial wariness and fighting have ceased. Not quite at the 'cat pile' stage, but they can sleep on the same bed with no trouble now. JollityFarm fucked around with this message at 20:32 on Aug 17, 2014 |
|
#
?
Aug 17, 2014 20:25
|
|
|
ilysespieces posted:About when did you notice that change? Right now mornings are reserved for biting toes and scratching my bf's beard, I'd be cool with her growing out of that. It was closer to the year mark, though, to be honest, he's still not an adult cat yet. Once he's a full-fledged adult cat, he might revert back to sitting on laps! But right now, he does seem more content sitting next to me rather than on me. Toast still bites my toes in the mornings, though, so I can't tell you when they grow out of that.
|
|
#
?
Aug 17, 2014 21:56
|
|
|
JollityFarm posted:I've been meaning to post this here for a few weeks, because the world must know about my Your cat is the pinup model of cats. I could look at pictures of her endlessly.
|
|
#
?
Aug 18, 2014 06:21
|
|
|
Ciaphas posted:That seems to be the case. I don't know about friendly yet, but if I put out my hand Hope'll rub her head on it. Not sure if she's trying to shove it away or just get a petting, but she doesn't object when I do pet her, so I'm guessing the latter. Our younger was like this when we brought her, terrified on the trip back, ran into the first hidey hole she could find on the way here. We set up a perch for her where she could see us and the other cat going about our business, with bedding, food and water on the perch so she only had to budge during the night for the litterbox. She spent her days on the perch for about a week. Completely social with us within a month. Within two she was play-wrestling the other cat. Some 18 months down the line she's still pretty timid and skittish but also the snuggliest cat I've ever seen. Also the only cat I've ever come across that refuses to be held in any other way except on her back. So, yeah. Just provide her with elevated spots to watch you and wait for her to get accustomed to you. That's why she's in your closet, it was probably the first place she found with an elevated location that made her feel less vulnerable. If she's already rubbing against your hand you shouldn't have much problems luring her out with da bird and leading her to whatever perches you feel like setting up.
|
|
#
?
Aug 18, 2014 12:59
|
|
|
I'm looking after a friends 4 week old kittens this week, any recommendations for treats for their mum that'll benefit the babies as well?
|
|
#
?
Aug 18, 2014 20:06
|
|
|
Boil up and shred a chicken breast, offer her morsels of that as treats. Lots of cats love plain old chicken.
|
|
#
?
Aug 18, 2014 20:27
|
|
|
Is it better to keep kittens seperated while they are being socialized? I've got two that I've had for over a month, and they act differently towards me depending on if they are together. When they are split up in seperate rooms they are very friendly, but if I have them together they become skittish and will run and hide from me. The two are sisters if that makes any difference in behavior. 
|
|
#
?
Aug 18, 2014 20:35
|
|
|
So we have two cats. Mine, Harvey, 7 years old, neutered. And Brie, 2 years old, spayed. Brie has decided she does NOT like Harvey and therefore has started to attack him viciously on sight and I'm not sure what to do. They've lived together for nearly a year without incident - Brie has kept mostly to herself and they have never been friends but now Harvey spends his days sitting by his food bowl by the back door looking sorry for himself because if he so much as takes another step Brie comes running. He will not fight her back - he just instantly gives in like a complete wuss despite the fact he is way bigger. Have taken cats to vet and there does not seem to be anything medically wrong with them. We've got some plug-in cat drug thing that's supposed to calm them down but Brie has been slowly escalating her behaviour towards him for a couple of months now and thus if anything this has just served to make her more of a douche. She does not like ANY other animal - even the rabbits get hissed at now. I cannot even pick up Harvey any more and cuddle him because he wants to instantly go back to his spot and scratches me. He is absolutely terrified of her. How do I get Brie to stop being such a huge bitch? I'd quite like my affectionate lap cat back instead of having him sitting in the same spot all day every day whilst Brie lords around the house. Obligatory cat pictures:  
|
|
#
?
Aug 19, 2014 03:27
|
|
|
Has anyone had to deal with a cat with a feeding tube before? Our 10 year old male, Shade, is coming home from the hospital either tonight or tomorrow, and will have a feeding tube in for about 6 weeks to help combat reoccurring pancreatitis and diabetes issues. It seems a little daunting but from other information online it seems...surprisingly simple?
|
|
#
?
Aug 19, 2014 12:43
|
|
|
There is a little bit of a learning curve. The biggest thing is don't give too much too fast or they'll barf.
|
|
#
?
Aug 19, 2014 13:32
|
|
|
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qx_roUgWDg8 Hey Cookie's a weird dumb cat! He loves chewing on various things, notably cushions, towels and this scratching post. Is this okay or is he likely to screw his teeth up?
|
|
#
?
Aug 19, 2014 14:48
|
|
|
Anybody use Laxatone for hairball treatment? Vet recommended it for my cat when she was puking every day, after a thorough checkup to rule more serious stuff out. It works well when I give it to her every day, but she hates it. I basically have to sneak up or hold her down and put a blob on her paw, and then watch her hiss and shake it, then get all pouty and lick it off. It's hilarious, but it would be easier if I could get her to eat it willingly. Maybe I can trick her with the non-tuna flavored kind on her food?
|
|
#
?
Aug 19, 2014 19:31
|
|
|
So I took Tucker to the Vet, and he peed all over himself in the taxi. He still smells of urine, even thought the tech was incredibly professional, and wiped him down with baby wipes. (They also cleaned the carrier, and replaced his pet bed with a pee pad. He's on cleanup duty already (after doing our own cleaning when we got home), but should I be worried about either cat marking after this incident? We plan on gently cleaning our carpet tomorrow, but I need to know if this could trigger territory marking.
|
|
#
?
Aug 19, 2014 23:49
|
|
|
|
| # ? May 30, 2024 07:10 |
|
|
Bina posted:So I took Tucker to the Vet, and he peed all over himself in the taxi. I have a cat who fear-pees every time he is taken out of the house (whether in a carrier or in arms). Nowadays I'm prepared for it and have something absorbent under him, but it's never made him or the other cats mark.
|
|
#
?
Aug 20, 2014 01:07
|
|
